FUE Hair Transplantation

FUE – Follicular Unit Extraction – is a revolutionary hair transplantation technique where each hair follicle is taken individually from scattered points in the donor area. The grafts are transplanted in the thinning or bald area giving the patient a completely natural result. The operation is minimally invasive with quick recovery time and leaves no linear scars.

Follicular Unit Extraction

FUE is an innovative Hair Transplantation technique that delivers outstanding results. During this surgical procedure, each Follicular Unit is extracted individually from the donor area and transferred to the recipient area giving the patient a perfectly natural outcome. The surgery is minimally invasive, offering patients the benefit of short recovery time as well as the absence of any linear scars.

The history of FUE.

Modern hair transplant was introduced in 1950 by Dr. Orentreich. Using a 4 mm round punch, he removed groups of follicular units from the back and the sides of the scalp (where the hair is permanent) and transplanted them in areas with hair loss. The Follicular Unit concept is fundamental in advanced hair transplantation techniques.

What are Follicular Units?

The Follicular Unit (FU) is the basis of modern hair transplantation. FUs are individual anatomical units in a formation of one, two, three, four, or more hair follicles on the human scalp. In the microphotograph, you can see a Follicular Unit.

There are two ways to extract hair transplants from the donor area.

Strip method

According to the Strip method, also known as Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), donor harvesting is done by removing an elliptical section of the skin from the back of the head. After the incision, the surgeon performs suturing. The Strip method has the significant disadvantage of causing linear scars on the back of the head, and there is also a high probability of post-operative pain and discomfort for the patient.

FUE

According to this technique, the doctor uses a tool known as a punch and makes a small circular incision on the skin around each Follicular Unit (FU), thus separating it from the surrounding tissue. The FU is then extracted immediately using a pair of properly designed forceps. FUE is performed using innovative specialised tools, both manual and automated. The main advantage of this technique is that wounds in the donor area are completely healed within a period of 7 to 10 days. Harvesting of the Follicular Units is repeated until the surgeon collects the desired number of grafts. The duration of the procedure varies from person to person and depends on the adequate number of hair follicles. Although most cases can be completed in one day, in some cases, two consecutive day sessions may be needed. The extensive experience of Dr. Zontos in implementing cutting-edge transplantation techniques, alongside the use of advanced technology, ensures the highest quality of the transplant and the best outcome for the patient.

We are committed to offering our patients the most sophisticated and safe techniques that are available today in the field of Hair Transplantation.

Dr. Zontos

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Discover all the benefits of FUE.

FUE is an innovative Hair Transplantation Method that is an ideal choice for everyone but especially for:

Patients interested in a minimally invasive procedure.
Patients with very short hair that do not want a visible scar from the Strip method.
Eyebrow transplantation
Covering old scars.
Transplantation on hard skin, usually from previous Strip procedures.
Avoiding the development of keloids.
Overcoming the problem of restricted donor area due to previous Strip procedures.
Patients afraid of the Strip method.
Patients with insufficient donor area have the option of Body Hair FUE.
Athletes who want a quick recovery.
Cases of corrective procedures.

The FUE procedure can be performed by the doctor, either with a manual tool or with the use of a specialized mechanical tool. The use of the ARTAS robotic system has recently started. The healing process is very fast, as shown in the pictures.

The spectacular part of the method is that the wounds in the donor area heal completely over a period of 7 to 10 days. The hair follicle extraction procedure is repeated until the surgeon collects the desired number of implants.

The duration of the procedure varies from person to person and depends on the total number of hairs required. Although most cases can be completed in one day, in some cases continuous sessions for two or three days may be needed.

Anesthesia and FUE

The specialised anaesthesia system Wand Computer

Dr. Zontos uses the Wand Computer anaesthesia system at his Clinic as it is the most effective and safest way of anaesthetising the skin during a hair transplantation procedure.The innovative digital platform of the Wand Computer system significantly increases patient comfort, reduces stress, and effectively controls the flow, rate, and dose of anaesthesia during the surgical procedure.The benefits of the Wand Computer anaesthesia system include:

Increased patient comfort
Significantly reduces stress
Controls the flow rate of anaesthesia
Controls the pressure of anaesthetic
Accurate aspiration
Minimises pain during the process of anaesthesia

Vertical Extraction

FUE is considered a minimally invasive technique; however, the injury to the donor area caused by scoring with a punch during donor harvesting can cause concern. The reason is that when the healing process is complete, multiple small white dots can appear; this is known as hypo-pigmentation.

The increased scar formation, from wound healing, is not only an aesthetic problem for patients with very short hair, but it also results in a donor site that makes a potential FUE procedure challenging or impossible.

Dr. Zontos has developed the innovative technique named Vertical Extraction, which minimizes injury to the donor area.

Using Vertical Extraction during the harvesting process, both the physician and the patient can benefit because VE minimizes injury to the donor area while allowing for easier and more efficient extraction.

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Vertical Extraction is a technique that is published in the medical journal The Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. The results from the research show that VE causes up to 394% less injury to the skin.

Vertical Extraction dramatically increases the quality of the hair graft, and minimizes the formation of scars in the donor area.

After 3 hours the surface of the wound in vertical extraction decreases by 39,64%.

The surface of the same wound in acute extraction immediately and 3 hours later using advanced image processing reveals a 6,57 % decrease in surface of the wound.

To avoid the problems caused by the incorrect conduct of FUE surgery, it is essential that patients trust qualified doctors with internationally recognized qualifications. Regrettably, in the last few years, we have witnessed cases where serious surgeries were carried out by unauthorized personnel without official medical credentials, leading to disastrous results.

Recovery

In FUE Hair Transplantation, the donor wounds have completely healed within 7 to 10 days. The healing process is remarkably fast, as shown in the pictures

1 day later

2 days later

4 days later

12 days later

Placement of Follicular Units

Follicular Units are placed into the recipient sites where they will grow into healthy hair-producing follicles. Recipient sites are created in the balding area using a specialised surgical tool, which guarantees an entirely natural result while eliminating injury to the recipient area.

Dr. Zontos is recognised as one of the most specialised doctors on the topic of vertical or coronary receptors. In particular, a study published in the ISHRS Scientific Journal Hair Transplant Forum International has shown that the use of these coronal incisions minimises the injury to the recipient area up to 300%. Consequently, hair density can increase up to 62%, offering the patient a uniquely natural result.

The placement is always performed using specific tools named implanters, which protect the grafts from being damaged while assuring the correct angle and direction is achieved.

Loading the graft inside the implanter

Dr. Zontos during the placement procedure

Dr. Zontos performs each stage of the FUE procedure himself, and under no circumstances does other medical staff undertake the responsibility to extract or transplant the hair follicles.

FU Survival Rate – FUE Transplant Success Rate

FUE Hair Transplantation technique has been increasing in popularity over the past 17 years as it is a minimally invasive procedure that does not leave a linear scar in the donor area, such as the one left by the Strip method.

In the Clinic, using vertical extraction technique with cutting-edge surgical tools, Dr. Zontos ensures the extraction of high-quality grafts while maintaining minimal injury to the scalp. The grafts that are placed have sufficient adipose tissue resulting in a high survival rate for the best possible outcome.

Dr. Zontos presented the study confirming these findings at the ISHRS World Conference in Las Vegas in 2016.

Grafts without enough protective tissue extracted by using a manual punch.

Superior quality grafts obtained using the motorized punch in combination with the vertical extraction technique.

The academic background of Dr. Zontos, coupled with his knowledge of innovative hair restoration techniques, guarantees the best possible result.

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Results

Alkis talks about the exquisite FUE result he had at Zontos Hair & Skin Clinic and shares his experience. Watch the video to learn more about his story